


Adam Parrish vs. The Circle of Gansey

by Merchant



Series: Raven Revisited [2]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Gen, Last pre-series one I promise, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-04-07 06:08:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4252254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merchant/pseuds/Merchant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam Parrish adjusts to his new life at Aglionby. He finally meets Richard Campbell Gansey III, and we get an idea as to how they developed a friendship, and how Adam met Ronan and Noah for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Adam Parrish vs. The Circle of Gansey

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second TRC writing, originally posted on my [Tumblr](http://uaa-merchant.tumblr.com). There are six of them as of the time I'm uploading this, and there _will_ be more in the near future. As I've said before, this is just what I feel the characters are feeling, thinking about, et cetera during the parts of the books where the information isn't given. Hope you enjoy reading!
> 
> **The Raven Cycle, and it's characters, are the sole property of Maggie Stiefvater. I am the sole owner of this writing.**

Adam Parrish had made it through the first few weeks of classes. He found himself able to keep up with the class work, though he doesn’t know if that’s because he’s simply that smart, or because he’s so determined to fit in, that his concentration has enhanced. All he knows, is that he is making it through the year rather smoothly.

By this time, his initial uneasiness had worn off a bit, which could probably have been because the intimidating boy with the shaven head stopped coming to classes after the second week. Adam Parrish still didn’t feel like he belonged. Adam couldn’t help but notice Gansey trying to hide his displeasure at seeing an empty seat where there should’ve been a person there, next to Adam. When the intimidating boy was in class, Adam saw how well Gansey and the other boy got along. Adam Parrish was full of envy, because he knew he’d never be like either one of them. 

Adam Parrish dreaded going home these days, because his parents have stopped ignoring him, and have decided to voice their opinions on exactly what they think of him going to Aglionby. Especially his father, who decides that words are not enough, and adds injury to the insults. Adam Parrish sits outside on his front steps each night, crying to himself where no one else could see, wondering if he really made the right decision, wondering if his father would stop hurting him if he left the academy. Adam Parrish stops talking about Aglionby to his parents, and takes solace in his after school jobs.

_The swelling isn’t that bad. I can just say I fell at work and hit my head, the bruise will heal quickly._ These are only a couple of thoughts that float around Adam’s head, as he checks his injuries while getting ready for school, hoping no one will ask about them. He has yet another silent breakfast, his mother refusing to respond to his morning greetings.

Adam decides to ride his bike to Aglionby that day, and while heading toward the academy, he sees a rather old, and very orange Camaro parked along the side of the road, or broken down rather. A 1973 model, one he had seen at the roadside a couple times, and was very shocked to find belonged to Gansey. It just didn’t suit the boy, what with how much wealth he possessed. As he watched Gansey working under the hood, he didn’t know what made him suddenly stop beside the broken-down vehicle. It had to be fear, but at the same time, Adam Parrish wanted to be known to _someone_ at least.

When Gansey looked up and smiled at him, when Gansey had said his name aloud, like they were old friends, when Adam offered to try to fix the car's troubles, to which Gansey declined, Adam knew he would never belong in the other's world. When Gansey then said he wanted Adam to teach him how to fix the car, Adam was surprised once more. As he got Gansey’s car running again, Gansey then offering him a ride to school, which Adam was about to decline, but Gansey was already putting his bike in the Camaro’s trunk, basically giving Adam no choice in the matter, Adam started to feel that hope all over again. When Adam got into the passenger seat of the Camaro, and Gansey started talking to him about Welsh kings, Adam Parrish felt like he _could_ belong in that world.

That week’s writing assignment was a pairs project. Adam watched the other boys immediately break off and join their friends, while Adam sat alone. A few boys approach Gansey, asking to be his partner. Gansey just smiled, that flawless smile that made everyone do as he wanted, and then his gaze caught sight of Adam, alone at his desk.

With Ronan not being in class, Adam would end up having to do the assignment himself. Gansey politely brushed off the other boys, making some excuse, and approached Adam’s desk.

“It looks like you could use a writing partner,” Gansey had said, trying to break the ice once more. Adam was surprised, he figured Gansey had put on an act during their time fixing the Camaro, had only _pretended_ to be interested in his company. Yet, here was Gansey, offering to be his writing partner.

Adam Parrish just gave a short nod, not really looking at Gansey, still wary of the other’s intentions. They sat next to each other at the desk, and went over the assignment, brainstorming ideas. Gansey was impressed by how easy it was to talk to Adam, and with the ideas that Adam had for the assignment. It was tough to pick a subject, since they all seemed interesting to Gansey, but they finally decided on one.

As class drew to a close, Gansey offered to work on the assignment with Adam after the school day ended, but at his apartment instead of staying behind at the academy. Aglionby tended to be too noisy for him. Adam could not believe what he was hearing, and begins to make up an excuse to cover up his uneasiness. Gansey simply held a hand up to stop Adam’s speaking. “I insist.”

After classes had ended, Adam met up with Gansey, and they walked along the parking lot. As they reached that old ‘73 Camaro, which was still quite orange, Adam muses at just why Gansey had chosen to drive this thing around, especially when it seemed to give up the ghost a lot. The words were clear on Adam’s face, and Gansey voiced the answer to the silent question. “It’s a great car, I feel it really suits me,” he simply said.

As they drive off, Adam pondered on just how the Camaro was still running, and hoped Gansey wasn’t about to make him a part of a double suicide. Once they reached Monmouth Manufacturing, Adam suddenly felt a great deal of dread. _I should’ve known. He’s making fun of me. He’s going to leave me here. I shouldn’t have trusted him._

"Well, here we are. Please mind the mess once we get inside," Gansey had said as he parked, and shut off, the Camaro. Adam was pleasantly surprised when Gansey proceeded to exit the Camaro, and motion for Adam to follow him. As Adam followed Gansey into the large building, he could see that there were indeed signs of life inside, of people living there, on closer inspection. The room they were in was bigger than his house was, though. “You live _here_?” Adam had asked in disbelief. “I bought this place so I could live in it, and it has enough space for my reading materials and such,” Gansey had replied. Aglionby boys. _One day, Adam Parrish, one day._

“Ronan! Noah! Are you in? We have a guest!” Gansey called out just then. Adam heard a door open on the upper floor, and the intimidating boy, that he was still quite sure was the boy he saw at the grocery store that day, was suddenly peering over the railing. Adam glanced away, and upon looking back up, saw that a third boy had materialized next to the intimidating one. This boy looked rather young, younger than any of them, but he could've been the same age as the rest of them, though he was quite pale and very sullen-looking.

“Ronan, Noah, this is Adam Parrish. Adam, this is Ronan Lynch, and that’s Noah,” Gansey explained, directing his eyes and index finger between Adam and the others as he spoke. Adam simply nodded towards the other two. “Since when do you bring trailer trash home?” Ronan had asked, his tone quite smug. “Ronan Lynch!” Gansey had exclaimed, but the damage was done. “Ignore Ronan, he hasn’t been properly house trained yet,” Gansey then said to Adam with a sigh, apologetically.

Adam Parrish knew he hated Ronan Lynch right then, and he was trying his best not to go up and knock the asshole out. It took only a few words to hurt Adam, and remind him of who he really was. _Remember where you came from. Remember what he did to you. You are not him, Adam. Fight the urge._

Adam and Gansey worked on their assignment together to distract Adam, and Gansey even dragged Ronan into the discussion, explaining how Ronan needed to do homework to stay in Aglionby. Though, it sounded like more of a lecture, which was something Ronan was not pleased about, based on the look he gave Gansey. The three of them engaged in idle chat, regardless, and sometimes Noah would also chime in when need be.

Adam didn’t let Gansey or Ronan drive him home that day, however. Even though Gansey offered, again, and then tried to convince Adam by demanding that Ronan drive him, which Ronan protested. He was too ashamed of his home life to accept the offer, and he knew Gansey would judge him silently for it, and Ronan would judge him _very loudly_ for it. So he solemnly rode his bike back to the place where he knew he actually belonged, but at the same time, it was the place that was starting to feel emptier as the days passed on.

Adam and Gansey spent their school days talking to each other from that point on, and even after school. Adam spent more and more time at Monmouth, where Gansey would tell him stories of Welsh kings and ley lines while they worked on homework together. Adam even got to know Ronan a bit more, and found he could easily get along with him, even though it took him a bit to get used to Ronan being _Ronan_. 

Gansey and Adam would also get into arguments rather frequently, mostly about money. Gansey learned a lot about himself, and how privileged he really was, from these arguments, in which Gansey would obliviously talk about money as if everyone in the world had all of it, and Adam would firmly remind him that _not everyone had money to throw away_. Adam and Gansey also developed their own greeting in the form of a fist pound, since Adam expressed discomfort with all the constant handshakes, which were “too formal”.

Adam Parrish found himself spending a lot more time with Ronan, more so than Gansey, after awhile. Gansey always had to go do one thing or the other, or Gansey would send them off to do something for him, which usually consisted of traveling to locations where Gansey was sure they'd find clues about Glendower. Adam was glad he got along with all of them, because it helped him forget about his own troubles for a brief period of time.

He finally had somewhere to go, to escape for a little while. He found he could tell Gansey, Ronan, and Noah anything, and so he did. Soon, they weren't bringing up anything regarding Adam’s social status, though Ronan liked to throw a quip in here and there, which Adam expected nowadays. Eventually, Adam showed Gansey and Ronan where he lived, and they never said anything about it, though it was clear that Ronan _wanted_ to say something, but knew Gansey would just chastise him.

Although his father always saw who Adam was hanging around with, and would take his anger out on Adam’s face, or any part of his body he could get at, Adam kept going back to Monmouth to visit his friends. It got to a point where he couldn’t hide his father's abuse from them, no matter how many excuses he made for why he had bruises and cuts on various places on his body. By that time, they all had such a meaningful friendship, that Gansey would constantly demand that Adam move in to Monmouth, or at least have Ronan teach him how to defend himself from his father. Adam wouldn't accept either thing, but he was very grateful when they covered for him at school, when his injuries weren’t easy to hide, or easy to lie about.

Adam Parrish finally felt accepted, he finally felt like he could be _someone_ to others. He was doing very well for himself at Aglionby, and even better still, he finally had friends he could count on.


End file.
